The new year is, of course, an election year. And while the presidential race will probably be less-than-dramatic in Rhode Island, there will be plenty of other intriguing fare for the political junkie.

Here are five things to keep your eye on in 2012:

THE CICILLINE RACE

When then-Providence Mayor David Cicilline won election to Congress in the fall of 2010, it was easy to imagine him holding on to the post for as long as he liked.

But when news broke that Providence was in dire fiscal condition, despite his campaign assurances to the contrary, Cicilline took a major hit in the public opinion polls.

And he only burnished his reputation for manipulation in recent weeks with a brazen, and apparently successful, effort to reshape his Congressional district to his electoral advantage.

All of this means Cicilline's bid for re-election should provide the year's finest political drama.

First up: the Democratic primary. In a crucial development virtually lost in the redistricting brouhaha, one of Cicilline's most intriguing rivals — banker Merrill Sherman — recently said she would not run against him next year.

That leaves two potential Democratic challengers — businessman Anthony Gemma and former State Representative David Segal. If both hop in, they could split the anti-Cicilline vote, handing a victory to the incumbent.

But it's possible to imagine other scenarios in a three-way race: Segal, for instance, cutting into Cicilline's liberal base and putting Gemma over the top. And if Segal or Gemma can get Cicilline in a one-on-one matchup, the Congressman could be truly vulnerable.

If Cicilline makes it to the general election, he will, no doubt, try to focus the race on Washington Republicans. He'll argue that he would be a bulwark against cuts to Social Security, while his GOP opponent — be it Brendan Doherty or John J. Loughlin II — would strengthen a Republican Party run amok.

His GOP opponent will, doubtless, hammer Cicilline on Providence's finances and his trustworthiness — a line of attack that would be particularly potent for Doherty, a former superintendent of state police with a squeaky clean reputation.

But the meta-story, here, will be this: can Cicilline's savage political acumen — which might, incidentally, make him the best representative Rhode Island's First Congressional District could offer in this hyper-partisan age — best a (self-serving) GOP call for integrity in public affairs?

THE CHAFEE MAKEOVER

Governor Lincoln Chafee had a rough first year in office. Some of his highest profile policy pushes — an expansion of the state sales tax, a gay marriage bill — flopped.

He managed to alienate organized labor, which provided crucial electoral support in 2010, with his backing of state pension reform. And when the bill passed, he got little of the credit.

His foot-in-mouth disease didn't help matters. And a recent Brown University poll put his approval rating at just 27 percent.

Chafee has hired a new chief of staff in George Zainyeh, a widely respected political operative who once ran against Chafee for the Warwick mayoralty, in a bid to turn things around.

Zainyeh's charge: imposing discipline and infusing the administration with a bit of swagger. It will be a tough task: Chafee is a mild-mannered sort with a long history of wandering off message.

Does Portland want an elected mayor? The campaign to bring an elected mayor to Portland, a proposal championed by the city's charter commission as well as several arts and business groups, officially launched at a City Hall press conference on Tuesday.

Caprio's Clinton fixation It was the highlight of Democrat Frank Caprio's bid for governor: an endorsement by Bill Clinton before an enormous American flag at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Chafee's Smith hill prospects Lincoln Chafee rides into office with a weak mandate, at best. The governor-elect won just over one-third of the vote, barely edging his Republican rival for the throne.

Thanks for nothing: Rhode Island Turkeys 2010 Thanksgiving has arrived. And you know what that means: dinner with your boorish uncle, the disturbing quiver of canned cranberry sauce, and the Phoenix 's second annual list of Rhode Island turkeys — people and institutions who committed crimes against the state in the past year.

LIBERAL WARRIOR | April 10, 2013 When it comes to his signature issues — climate change, campaign finance reform, tax fairness — Whitehouse makes little secret of his approach: marshal the facts, hammer the Republicans, and embarrass them into action.

AT BROWN, A WIN FOR CLIMATE CHANGE ACTIVISTS | April 11, 2013 A key Brown University oversight committee has voted to recommend the school divest from coal, delivering a significant victory to student climate change activists.

HACKING POLITICS: A GUIDE | April 03, 2013 Last year, the Internet briefly upended everything we know about American politics.

BREAK ON THROUGH | March 28, 2013 When I spoke with Treasurer Gina Raimondo this week, I opened with the obligatory question about whether she'll run for governor. "I'm seriously considering it," she said. "But I think as you know — we've talked about it before — I have little kids: a six-year-old, an eight-year-old. I'm a mother. It's a big deal."

THE LIBERAL CASE FOR GUNS | March 27, 2013 The school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut spurred hope not just for sensible gun regulation, but for a more nuanced discussion of America's gun culture. Neither wish has been realized.